At stake is not only a huge fine but the future of social media in the United States. Meta is on trial in California after, three years ago, the State Attorney General, along with 29 colleagues, accused the company owning Facebook and Instagram of designing its platforms to create addiction in young people, lying about the risks, and illegally collecting millions of data on children.
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A historic trial
A trial with potentially historic outcomes that legal experts have compared to those against major tobacco producers in the 1950s or against opioids in the early 2000s. Landmark cases that changed those industries forever. Prosecutors from California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey are asking Mark Zuckerberg for up to $1.4 trillion and, above all, changes to his products such as implementing an age verification procedure for users, removing filters that alter physical appearance, and eliminating autoplay of videos.
The accusations against Meta
“Meta created a dangerous product for young users knowing it was dangerous and then lied to children, families, and communities about its dangers,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who will be the first to argue for the prosecution. “We are ready to hold Meta accountable for its role in the mental health crisis among American children.”
The states also claim that the tech giant violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act by collecting millions of data related to minors to use in creating algorithms that “create addiction.” Meta has already lost two similar cases.
Precedents
In California, a jury found Zuckerberg’s company and Google responsible for the anxiety and depression of a young woman, awarding a total compensation of $6 million including compensatory and punitive damages. Another jury in New Mexico ruled that Meta violated state consumer protection laws by failing to protect minors and deceiving the public, imposing a civil penalty of $375 million on the tech giant, followed by an additional $567 million fine allocated to a fund for assistance and treatment interventions aimed at youth. This case is even more significant because California has greater power and influence not only in the United States.
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